Method of removing spirally wound articles



April 21', 1953 w. P. CAMPBELL ETAL V 2,635,292

METHOD OF REMOVING SPIRALLY WOUND ARTICLES Filed July 12, 1950 wvewrons WP CAMPBELL V, E .M V! 0 M N m F U A V. B

Patented Apr. 21, 1953 METHOD OF REMOVING SPIRALLY WOUND ARTICLES William P. Campbell, Baltimore, and Fred N.

Dailey, Ruxton, Md., assignors to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application July 12, 1950, Serial No. 173,424

4 Claims. (Cl. 18-48) This invention relates to methods of removin spirally wound articles from supports on which they are wound, and more particularly to methads of removing retractile telephone cords, and the like, from mandrels on which they are wound.

One type of retractile telephone cord is made from cordage having a plurality of individually insulated conductors enclosed in a vulcanized jacket. A length of such cordage is wound on a mandrel into a helix so that the adjacent'turns abut each other, and then is subjected to suflicient heat to set the cordage in its helical form after which it is cooled. Usually, the application of heat to the cordage causes the cordage to adhere to the mandrel, and also causes the adjacent convolutions of the helical cordage to stick together. As a result, it is an arduous and time consuming task to remove the cordage manually from the mandrel. Heretofore, no satisfactory method has been developed to remove lengths of retractile cordage from mandrels on which they are wound. 7 An object of the invention is to provide new and improved methods of removing spirally wound articles from supports on which they are wound. 7 Another object of the invention is to provide new and improved methods of removing retractile telephone cords, and the like, from mandrels on which they are wound.

A method of removing a spirally wound article from a support on which it is wound illustrating certain features of the invention may include effecting relative longitudinal movement between such a support and a gripper in engagement with the article, and effecting relative rotation between the gripper and the article in such a directionthat the gripper tends to unwind the article from the support.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following detailed description of methods forming specific embodiments thereof, when read in conjunction with the appended drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a compact helix of retractile cordage wound on a mandrel;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary, side elevation in partial section of an apparatus useful in performing methods embodying the invention.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse section taken along line 33 of Fig. 2, and j Fig. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary, longitudinal section of a portion of the apparatus shown in Fi 2.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, Fig. 1

shows a length of multi-conductor cordage I0 wound under tension on a mandrel ll into a compact helix [4, in which the adjacent convolutions of the helix abut each other. The opposite ends of the helix M are secured in clamps I15 and I5 fastened rigidly to the mandrel to hold the helix in its tightly wouncl form on the mandrel. The cordage It] may include a plurality of individually insulated conductors (not shown) enclosed in a vulcanized jacket. The jacket of the cordage l0 may be made principally of rubber or rubber-like compounds, or other types of vulcanizable elastomeric compounds which may be cured by the application of heat and pressure into a tough, elastic material.

After the cordage I0 is wound on the mandrel I l in the manner described, the compact helix I4 is positioned in an oven to heat the cordage' sufficiently to release strains in the jacket of the cordage l0 and then is cooled to set the jacket in its helical form so that the cordage will remain in a resilient helix after it is removed from the mandrel. The jacket on the cordage I0 may be only partially vulcanized or it may be fully vulcanized or cured into a tough, elastic state before it is wound on the mandrel II. In either instance, the application of additional heat to the cordage l0 causes the jacket of the cordage to adhere to the mandrel II and causes the adjacent convolutions of the helix M to stick together. As a result, when the clamp I6 is removed from the mandrel I l,the helix I4 does not unwind so that its internal diameter remains at the same diameter as that of the mandrel. Therefore, to remove the helix from the mandrel, the convolutions must be separated from each other and from the mandrel H so the helix l4 can unwind and be removed readily from the mandrel.

A small electric gear-motor 2U positioned on a suitable table 2| has an output shaft 22 to which a coupling 23 is keyed. The coupling 23 is designed to receive a chuck 24 composed of a vulcanized compound and having an internal bore designed to grip the end of an elongated tube 25. The tube 25 has an internal bore 21, which is slightly larger than the outside diameter of the mandrel I I, so that the tube may be slid over the mandrel, and has a tapered free end portion 28, as seen in Fig. 4.

The gear-motor 20 is arranged to drive the member 25 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 3, which is opposite to the direction in which the helix is wound on the mandrel. The chuck 24 is preferably made of hard rubber so that it will break if the load on the chuck exceeds a Q'pemtion v To remove the helix Hi from the mandrel ll after it has been heated and cooled to set the cordage in its helical form, the clamp 16 is removed from the end of the mandrel, andis, j

The end of the helix to hold it in shape until the cord is installed in service.

If desired the mandrel II and the helix I4 might be rotated in the direction in which the helix is wound on the mandrel, and the tube 25 be held against rotation.-. The rotation of the helix causes the tube. toztehd to unwind the convolutions of the helix and lift them from the mandrel so that they slide onto the tube as the helix .is moved longitudinally along the tube. Also, the tube may be moved longitudinally with respect to the helix and accomplish the same 1 result.

that the motor is rotating the tube 25 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 3, and that a counterclockwise direction. After the end of. j

the mandrel H is inserted manually into the tube, 25 (Fig. 2), the mandrel and the helix are moved. to the right until the right end of the helix l4 presses against the tapered end 28 of the tube 25. As the tapered end'of the rotating tube 25 engages the end convolutions of the helix, it exerts a frictional force thereon which tends tounwind the helix, and also tends to lift the cordage from the mandrel. This tendency of the tube to unwind th helix and pry it from the mandreL- pulls the convolution loose from the, mandrel and at the same time pulls each convolution loose from the adjacent convolutions. As each portion of the helix is freed from themandrel and from the rest of the helix, it slides up onto the outer surface of the tube 25, and the tapered end of the tube engages thenext portion of the helix.

Continued movement of the helix [4 to the right causesthe end of the tube 25 to exert a frictional force incrementally on all the convolutions of the helix sufiicient to separate them from the mandrel and from each other, and they slideon the member 25. When the tube engages the clamp l5, the entire helix i4 is free from the mandrel 'II and the mandrel then is withdrawn from the tube'25' and the helix slides ofithe tube. The end of the cordage, it is re moved from theclamp l5, and the helix is removed from th mandrel. When the helix M has been freed from the mandrel, in the de= scribed manner, it unwinds slightly and assumes an outside diameter larger than that to which it was wound on the mandrel l and aninternal diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the mandrel ll. As a result, the helix l4 may be slid easily off the'mandrel l I after the end thereof has been released from th clamp iii. If the tube 25 should suddenly grab the helix and tendto turn the helix and the mandrel, which would result in the tube breaking the helix, the chuck 24 is designed to break. This feature prevents the tubefrom damaging the helix or cordage when these conditions occur. v It is to be understood that the tube 25 may be used as a support for holding the helix in shape during packaging and shipping of the re tractile cord. This result is obtained by releasing the end of the helix from the clamp 15 after the entire helix I4 is transferred to the tube and. withdrawing the mandrel ll from the tube. Then the tube supporting the helix is removed'from the chuck 24 and another tube is inserted therein. The above-described arrangement eliminates removing the helix from the misse s b q en y P a i -a d n t While the above-described methods are particuiarly well adapted to remove retractile cords fromwinding -maI-idrels, they may be readily modified to remove various types of helically wound articles from winding supports Without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is: V V V 1 A method of removing a spirally ,wound article from a support on which it is wound, which comprises effecting relative longitudinal movement between a tube and the support so that the tube engages the inner surface of the convolutions of the article wound thereon, and simultaneously effecting relative rotation be;- tween the tube and a portion of the article'in such a direction that the tube unwinds the article from. thesupport and transfers the con volutions to the tube.

2. A method of removing a spirally wound articl from a support on which its convolutions are wound and stuck, which comprisesrotating a tubular member in a direction opposite to that in which the article is wound on the support, insertingthe rotating member between the support and the convolutions at one end of the article, holding the article and its support against rotation while advancing the rotating member between the support and successive convolutions of the article to lift and slide them onto an outer surface of the rotating member, and sliding the article off the rotating member after all the convolutions are transferred from the support to the member.

3. A method of removing a helicallywound article from a mandrel on which'it is wound, when its convolutions are stuck together and to the mandrel, which comprises passing a tubular member between the inner surface of the convolutions. andthe outer surface of the mandrel and simultaneously rotating the tubular memberin a direction opposite to the direction in which the article is wound on the mandrel, holding thearticle and mandrel against rotation whereby the rotating member unwinds the convolutions from the mandrel and separates them from the mandrel and from each other, whereby they slide onto the outer surface of the tubular member. andsliding the; article olf said member. 1 i I V 4. A method of removing a helically wound retractile cord from the mandrel on which it is wound when its convolutions are stuck together andto the mandrehwhich comprises-removably attaching a tube to a rotatable chuck, rotating the chuck and the tube in adirection opposite to that in which the cord; is wound on the mandrel, inserting an end of the mandrelinto the tube so that the-end of the tube enters between themandrel and the conyolutions of the cord; holding the mandrel and cord against rotation; gradually advancing p the mandreltl-iroL-lehv the tube so that the tube unwinds and. slides the convolutions of the cord onto the tube, Withdrawing the mandrel from. the tube so as to leave the cord helically wound on the tube, and removing the tube from the chuck, whereby the tube may be used to prevent damage to the retraetile cord during packaging and shipping of the cord.

WILLIAM P. CAMPBELL.

FRED N. DAILEY.

Name Date Sill June 9, 1908 Number Number 6 Name Date Johnson June 28, 1921 Curtiss July 4, 1933 Trotter May 28,. 1940 Soubier et a1. Jan. 14, 1941 Butler et a1. Apr. 22, 1941 Bachleda Oct. 13, 1942 Kotowski Feb. 23, 1943 Meyer Sept. 14, 1943 Greene Oct. 24, 1944 Bachleda July 5, 1949 Brown Oct. 11, 1949 

